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Keyboard issues re: Sony Vaio model PCG - 61311M

Dear All, I am a technical idiot so I would be grateful for any advice about an issue that has been occurring intermittently for about eighteen months now. It only relates to when I am online, not when I am offline working on a Word doc. Using certain keys results in very irritating and strange effects. If I use '1' a new page is opened up for 'support.google.com'. The number five wipes everything out (hence the reason I have used the word 'five' here rather than actually use that numeric key). '3' sometimes shoots me down to the bottom of the page. Using the letter 'p' in lower case results in a 'Developer Tools' box flashing up at me (but this does not occur if I use an uPPer case P). The back delete key (near the toP RH corner of the keyboard) will only delete one letter at a time, rather than keeP deleting when it is held down, as it should. I do not have any locks on (eg number or caPital lock). When this has occurred before it seems to last a few days and then cure itself. It is then okay for a few weeks but then starts all over again. I am getting ready to throw the damn thing out of the window - PLEASE HELP! Thank you.

Thanks for the response. However, pressing F12 when 'p' has brought up Developer Tools just brings up a second page of Developer Tools. I have also realised that what I originally wrote is incorrect because this problem does occur when I am typing in a Word doc. For example, '3' either brings up 'Word Starter Help' or shoots me off somewhere; and p and m bring up my own menu for my Documents library. And the back delete key also will still only go back one character, even if it is held down. Even trying to write this is extremely frustrating and time-consuming with all the weird 'effects'. I will not buy a Vaio again and would advise anyone else not to as it is a piece of expensive junk. The number lock now seems to be automatically switching itself on so that when I press certain letters I then get what seem to be completely unrelated letters. This product is a DISGRACE!

Your computer thinks you have the 'Fn' key (otherwise known as the function key) held down right now, even though you don't! You can tell that this is the problem if the letters/numbers which come out on the screen are the ones which are noted on the lower part of the keys you're pressing. And you'll notice that if you actually hold down the 'Fn' key, your computer's keyboard acts as it normally does.

So why does the computer think the 'Fn' key is being held down, even when it's not? Because you have 'Num Lock' on! When you have the 'Num Lock' key on, your computer perpetually thinks that the Fn key is held down.

Here's how to turn 'Num Lk' off if you want your keyboard acting normal again: hold 'Fn' and hit the 'Num Lk' button. (You have to hold Fn while doing this, because otherwise, the computer would think you were trying to press 'Scr Lk', or scroll lock. I don't know the layout of every keyboard of every computer sony has ever made, so it might be different for you.), after that, everything should work normal again. For some reason, Sony Vaio laptops, on the rare occasion turn their 'num lock' on by themselves. It's easy as it can be to turn it back off, it's just that it can be very confusing for someone who doesn't understand the problem.

lotvic, thank you for all your help, which is very much appreciated. I tried holding down the FN key and then hitting Num Lk but it made no difference. I have also watched the YouTube clip but I am not able to located the 'system Config' box as when I do EXACTLY what the woman in the clip does it brings up different stuff. In terms of the Operating System, I haven't downloaded anything other than what Sony provided when I bought this (I wouldn't know how - I'm the kind of person who gets a sense of achievement if I manage to boil a kettle!) I am really sick of this and I will just have to spend yet more money on yet another laptop, which certainly will not be a Sony, because I cannot try to deal with this nonsense every few weeks and just keep waiting for it to magically fix itself. Nevertheless, I am really appreciative of you trying to assist - thank you.

Incidentally, I tried what the woman did in the video regarding the functions, eg hitting a combination of keys to mute the sound, and that DOES work fine. So that seems to be a separate thing anyway, even if I could find the blessed bit of software to which she refers.

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